Because Of Larry
by Mel16
Summary: Miranda's been unlucky in love for the longest time, but what happens when she realizes the perfect guy is right in front of her? ML. Please read and review!
1. Because Of Larry

Disclaimer: I don't own any Miranda, Lizzie, Gordo, Ethan, Larry, Cody, or Kate.  
  
I didn't like him. He was annoying, unattractive, and would bring down my social  
  
status if I was seen with him. But that night at my party, I had felt something while we  
  
danced. I couldn't like him. Larry Tudgeman?  
  
I pushed my black hair out of my eyes and watched as Lizzie approached me at  
  
the lunch table, flanked by Gordo, her personal shadow. Every since those two had  
  
started going out, they were more inseparable than ever. I knew that once they sat down  
  
at the table, the handholding would begin. I rolled her eyes, but was still happy for my  
  
best friends. They had found each other, now when would Ethan find me? I laughed, my  
  
eyes on Ethan as he crashed into the door of the cafeteria, and then chuckled more as I  
  
watched Kate begin to yell at him.  
  
"Hey, Miranda, how are you?" Lizzie's voice, high and sweet, rang through my  
  
ears, disrupting the "connection" with Ethan  
  
"I'm good. How are you two?" I winked at the couple, whose cheeks were beginning to redden.  
  
"Miranda, have you seen the new movie playing?" Gordo asked me, ever the film  
  
director. He then began to babble all about the special effects that were used, causing  
  
Lizzie to swat him in the head with her brownie.  
  
"Enough, guys, remember what happened at the last food fight? Lizzie, you got  
  
stuck in detention with the Queen Of The World and her side-kick, Stink- Boy." I laughed  
  
at my own joke, and Gordo stared at me quizzically. Lizzie smiled, but I think she knew  
  
something was up. The Kate part they could stand, but after my party last weekend, I  
  
think they wouldn't take my badgering of poor Larry. I hadn't really talked to Lizzie, but  
  
had confided in Gordo, who promised he wouldn't tell. I don't even know what I told  
  
him. Something about me maybe liking Larry. What would happen if we went on a date?  
  
Would he change his shirt? Take a shower? Take me to a Star Flip convention with him?  
  
"I'm unlucky in love," I told Lizzie and Gordo, who nodded sympathetically. "No,  
  
seriously. I've had two crushes all year, Cody Pearson, who had nothing to say after the  
  
first five minutes of our date and Ethan, who, as much as I like him, has the intelligence  
  
of a hairbrush." Lizzie laughed, and commented on how brains were better than brawn  
  
any day. Ask her that last year, she would've told you brawn was good, but Ethan was  
  
better. Such a metamorphosis in the span of a few months.  
  
Larry was walking to our table. Gordo kicked me under the table but didn't meet  
  
my eyes. He was going to hold this over my head forever. Larry slid into the seat next to  
  
me and grinned.  
  
"Miranda, Gordo, Lizzie, how's it going?" He smiled widely and raked a hand  
  
through his dark hair, but barely made it through the grease.  
  
"Ever thought of taking a shower, loser?" Kate breezed by our table, followed by  
  
Ethan who was staring at the ceiling.  
  
"Kate, look, I saw an elephant?" She elbowed him in the ribs, and dragged him  
  
out of the cafeteria. The smile had dropped from Larry's face and he was paying an  
  
inordinate amount of attention to his plate.  
  
"Larry?" I nudged him, wanting him to look up. "Larry, don't take what Kate says  
  
personally." At that moment, Lizzie and Gordo grabbed their trays and whisked them  
  
away, bidding Larry and I goodbye as they walked to class together. "She's a witch, and  
  
you're worth a thousand of her. A million." That was the largest compliment I had paid to  
  
anyone, and it was going to Larry? But he looked at me and beamed, and launched into  
  
an explanation about Spock.  
  
"You know, Miranda, I like you. Almost as much as Star Trek. Maybe more." As  
  
much as I hated to admit it, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. And it  
  
came from Larry?  
  
"Larry, I'm a bad person. I didn't like you for the longest time because of your  
  
looks. When you showed up to my party as Lawrence, I wanted to know more about you.  
  
But when I found out you were Larry, I still felt the same way. I didn't want to tell  
  
anyone, but it's something I can't get over. I can't get over you."  
  
I had admitted it. It wasn't a dream or a nightmare, it was reality. Reality was  
  
Larry and I, sitting together at the lunch table, being watched by all the popular people  
  
and not even caring. I liked Larry? I liked Larry. 


	2. Getting To Know You

Disclaimer: I don't own Miranda, Larry, Ethan, Kate, Lizzie, or Gordo. Although if I did, I'd be a very rich person right now! : )  
  
Now what? I had laid my feelings out on the line, and Larry was picking the  
  
chocolate chips out of his brownie.  
  
"Larry?" I poked him tentatively. "Larry, say something." He looked at me, his  
  
brown eyes sad and lonely.  
  
"Miranda, do you know what its like to not be liked?" His gaze traveled to the  
  
lunch line, where Lizzie and Gordo were standing and watching, pretending to be  
  
purchasing another peanut butter sandwich, Gordo's favorite. He shook his head, and  
  
looked at me.  
  
"I don't," I mumbled, feeling guilty for being blessed with my wonderful friends.  
  
They always had my back; we were the Three Amigos. There was almost never a time I  
  
was without Lizzie and Gordo. Even though they were dating, I tried hard not to slip  
  
through the cracks. I wouldn't let them forget me; I knew they wouldn't.  
  
"You don't, you're right. Every day is like that for me. If it's not Kate making fun  
  
of me, telling me to take a shower, it's people ignoring me. You ignored me. Do you  
  
know how much that hurt? I thought you were a great person. I had built up this vision of  
  
you in my mind, and it was absolutely perfect. But then, you had that party, and as much  
  
as I hated to admit it, I wanted to go. I wanted to make you see that I was a good person,  
  
underneath everybody's comments. But I had to be someone else for you to notice me.  
  
And like you said, you liked me as Lawrence, but continued after I wasn't. I wish it  
  
hadn't been that hard. I wanted you to like me for me, Larry. But you didn't. No one ever  
  
does." I looked at him, in his eyes that were pained with his outburst. Why hadn't I  
  
noticed it? He wasn't that bad a person, deep down. That's why I liked him. Once you get  
  
to know him, at least.  
  
"I-I'm sorry Larry. But why didn't you change? Why didn't you change your  
  
shirt, try and fit in with people once in awhile? Once people get to know you, they'd like  
  
you. I did." Larry sighed. I felt so horrible for him, shunning him without getting to know  
  
him. It was like Ethan and I. Why did Lizzie and I, along with most of the female  
  
population of Hillridge, love him so much? He couldn't hold an intelligent conversation  
  
for over a few seconds, and that included saying hello. It was because of how he looked.  
  
That was how everything was based in junior high. Larry, nobody liked him because his  
  
hair was greasy and he had been wearing the same shirt for years now. But how hard was  
  
it for him to change his shirt and wash his hair?  
  
"I didn't bother. Once you've got a reputation, it's hard to change. Why is Lizzie  
  
considered a dork? She's smart, she's sweet, she's beautiful, and she's fun to be around.  
  
Why isn't she leading the school? Why is it Kate, who's so ugly inside, telling everybody  
  
how they should dress and act? Why, Miranda? Answer me that."  
  
I couldn't answer him. I had never walked through the halls and felt alone, or  
  
stayed awake and night and wondered why nobody liked me. I always had Lizzie and  
  
Gordo, helping me through the rough times, helping me up when I fell. Back when I was  
  
struggling with my weight, Lizzie and Gordo were the ones that bailed me out. I could've  
  
gone on, not eating, hating myself, for months until anyone realized. By then, I could've  
  
been in the throes of anorexia with nobody to help me. But because of Lizzie and Gordo,  
  
I could go to the mall and eat an order of fries and not feel guilty. You couldn't go  
  
through life without friends. I guess Larry had.  
  
"Larry, I want to be your friend. I hope I'm not too late. I want to be more than  
  
your friend. I was too stupid to realize it before, but you're the guy for me. Not Ethan, not  
  
Lawrence, but you. You always had the same personality as Lawrence, you were just  
  
more sure of yourself. You were a whole other person, and that's what drew me in. But if  
  
I didn't like you, Larry, why would I be here right now? Answer me that Larry  
  
Tudgeman." 


	3. Seeing You

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the characters. :)  
  
He stared at his toes, not answering me. His gaze met mine after a few moments as  
  
he searched my face. I couldn't tell what he was thinking; all I could do was look back at  
  
him and drink in his features. He was handsome, even if he didn't have Ethan's hair. He  
  
had warm, trusting brown eyes and a sweet smile. His lips. Did I really want to kiss  
  
Larry Tudgeman? The guy I've not really hated, but hated to be around since 7th grade?  
  
But yeah, I think I did. Larry looked like someone you could trust, someone you could  
  
pour your heart out to. Someone you could fall in love with.  
  
"How do I know you're not playing with my mind?" he asked me. "I've had so  
  
many people pretend they were my friends, and then turn on me. It hurts Miranda.  
  
Ultimately, everyone just overlooks me. Why spend time looking at The Tudge when  
  
you can be looking at Ethan?" Ouch. As much as I hated to admit it, I was part of the  
  
group that overlooked him for Ethan. If it wasn't Ethan, it was someone else  
  
overshadowing Larry.  
  
"I'm not playing with your mind. I can't tell you I won't hurt you, because it's  
  
easy to hurt people. I wouldn't try to, but in a relationship, people get hurt. Are we in a  
  
relationship, Larry?" He smiled at me. I noticed he had a great smile, although I don't  
  
recall him ever having braces. But would I have remembered that about him? Probably  
  
not. Ethan had braces, early in the fourth grade. He was one of the first in the grade.  
  
"You know how long I've wished we were? Months. I'm not a religious person,  
  
but I wished that Spock would grant me that wish. For other people, getting a girlfriend  
  
isn't that big a deal, but I've only had one girlfriend, and she did it out of the goodness of  
  
her heart. She felt sorry for me, and she felt guilty for letting me down. So she pretended  
  
to be my girlfriend. One girl, Miranda. I'm almost fifteen. I'm pathetic."  
  
"You're not pathetic," I told him. It was a natural response, like when somebody  
  
asked you if they were fat. You're not fat, was your immediate response, even if they  
  
were getting a bit chunky. But he wasn't. Maybe to others, but not to me.  
  
"Yeah, you're just saying that." He blushed a bit. I think he was hoping what I  
  
said was true. It was. I touched his arm and saw his cheeks redden a bit.  
  
"I'm not just saying that. Don't I always say what I mean?" He smiled.  
  
"Yeah, you do. You always have at least. You used to hate me, and always told  
  
me that. Remember that scavenger hunt? You kept telling me to stay two feet away  
  
from you at all times." I grinned, remembering that. I barely even remembered what  
  
Lizzie, Gordo, and I were fighting about after this long. But I did remember Larry. He  
  
kept telling me what great friends I had, wishing he had them too. Now, I barely even  
  
thought about Lizzie and Gordo. My mind was on Larry.  
  
"You're not two feet from me now." I told him, noticing how close we were.  
  
Our faces were close. I could see myself reflected in his eyes.  
  
"I know." His voice was quiet, low and nervous.  
  
"Larry, I like you. Please believe me. I'm so sorry for not noticing it before. I'm  
  
sorry you had to be someone else for me to really realize who you were. I'm sorry for a  
  
lot of things. But I'm not sorry for being here right now, because, I like you. I like you a  
  
lot. I don't know what might happen, but I want to try. Please, Larry, say you'll try."  
  
Larry looked at me and beamed. He leaned in closer. I could see how soft his lips looked.  
  
"I wish it hadn't taken this long," he said, a tinge of regret in his voice. "But I'm  
  
glad it did. I like you a lot Miranda. There's nothing you should be sorry for.  
  
He kissed me. I never believed in fireworks, or love at first sight. But I felt  
  
everything. It hadn't been love at first sight, but maybe this was my first time really  
  
seeing Larry. felt like I was meant to be with Larry. Maybe I was. Who knew what  
  
would happen in the future. I didn't know, but I loved being with Larry. I loved Larry.  
  
Now, it wasn't a question. It was a sure thing. 


End file.
